Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB), the national development agency for the film, television and animation industry, welcomes the budget increase of €1.5 million announced today by Irish Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD.

This is a 9% overall increase, bringing the IFBs capital budget, which is invested in film, television and animation projects, to €14,202,000 for 2018.

“We very much welcome Minister Humphrey’s consistent support for developing the potential of the Irish screen industries. We look forward to being in a strong position next year to increase our support for the development and production of Irish films and animation. Last year, production activity reached the highest level on record due to the strong and consistent Government support the sector has received and we remain ambitious for the future growth of these creative industries. We look forward to continuing to work with Minister Humphrey’s on the Creative Ireland initiative to strengthen Ireland as a centre of excellence for film, television and media production.”

The Irish film, television and animation sector has gone from strength to strength and is a central component of Ireland's creative economy, employing over 7000 full-time job equivalents and valued at over €.5 billion in annual turnover.

Minister Humphreys’ increased funding for the IFB comes after Irish film and animation was placed in the international spotlight at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, with an unprecedented eight titles screening in Official Selection, including Nora Twomey’s highly anticipated debut feature, The Breadwinner, which is soon to be released in Irish cinemas.

At the domestic box office, the hugely successful prison-break drama, MAZE, starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Love/Hate) continues to soar and has been incredibly well-received by the critics. The current success of the industry is the result of years of investment in Irish creative talent, made possible by the consistent Government backing and support for the IFB and this continued support is vital to the lifeblood of Ireland’s screen industries.